The Lighthouse, R. M. Ballantyne [well read books TXT] 📗

bottom of this hole, which is not inaptly compared to a pot with water boiling at the bottom of it. When a spectator looks into the cave, standing at the bottom of the “Pot”, he sees the seaward opening at the other end—a bright spot of light in the dark interior.

“You won’t get nervous, Minnie?” said Ruby, pausing when about halfway down the steep declivity, where the track, or rather the place of descent, became still more steep and difficult; “a slip here would be dangerous.”

“I have no fear, Ruby, as long as you keep by me.”

In a few minutes they reached the bottom, and, looking up, the sky appeared above them like a blue circular ceiling, with the edges of the Gaylet Pot sharply defined against it.

Proceeding over a mass of fallen rock, they reached the pebbly strand at the cave’s inner mouth.

“I can see the interior now, as my eyes become accustomed to the dim light,” said Minnie, gazing up wistfully into the vaulted roof, where the edges of projecting rocks seemed to peer out of darkness. “Surely this must be a place for smugglers to come to!”

“They don’t often come here. The place is not so suitable as many of the other caves are.”

From the low, subdued tones in which they both spoke, it was evident that the place inspired them with feelings of awe.

“Come, Minnie,” said Ruby, at length, in a more cheerful tone, “let us go into this cave and explore it.”

“But the water may be deep,” objected Minnie; “besides, I do not like to wade, even though it be shallow.”

“Nay, sweet one; do you think I would ask you to wet your pretty feet? There is very little wading required. See, I have only to raise you in my arms and take two steps into the water, and a third step to the left round that projecting rock, where I can set you down on another beach inside the cave. Your eyes will soon get used to the subdued light, and then you will see things much more clearly than you would think it possible viewed from this point.”

Minnie did not require much pressing. She had perfect confidence in her lover, and was naturally fearless in disposition, so she was soon placed on the subterranean beach of the Gaylet Cave, and for some time wandered about in the dimly-lighted place, leaning on Ruby’s arm.

Gradually their eyes became accustomed to the place, and then its mysterious beauty and wildness began to have full effect on their minds, inducing them to remain for a long time, silent, as they sat side by side on a piece of fallen rock.

They sat looking in the direction of the seaward entrance to the cavern, where the light glowed brightly on the rocks, gradually losing its brilliancy as it penetrated the cave, until it became quite dim in the centre. No part of the main cave was quite dark, but the offshoot, in which the lovers sat, was almost dark. To anyone viewing it from the outer cave it would have appeared completely so.

“Is that a sea-gull at the outlet?” enquired Minnie, after a long pause.

Ruby looked intently for a moment in the direction indicated.

“Minnie,” he said quickly, and in a tone of surprise, “that is a large gull, if it be one at all, and uses oars instead of wings. Who can it be? Smugglers never come here that I am aware of, and Lindsay is not a likely man to waste his time in pulling about when he has other work to do.”

“Perhaps it may be some fishermen from Auchmithie,” suggested Minnie, “who are fond of exploring, like you and me.”

“Mayhap it is, but we shall soon see, for here they come. We must keep out of sight, my girl.”

Ruby rose and led Minnie into the recesses of the cavern, where they were speedily shrouded in profound darkness, and could not be seen by anyone, although they themselves could observe all that occurred in the space in front of them.

The boat, which had entered the cavern by its seaward mouth, was a small one, manned by two fishermen, who were silent as they rowed under the arched roof; but it was evident that their silence did not proceed from caution, for they made no effort to prevent or check the noise of the oars.

In a few seconds the keel grated on the pebbles, and one of the men leaped out.

“Noo, Davy,” he said, in a voice that sounded deep and hollow under that vaulted roof, “oot wi’ the kegs. Haste ye, man.”

“’Tis Big Swankie,” whispered Ruby.

“There’s nae hurry,” objected the other fisherman, who, we need scarcely inform the reader, was our friend, Davy Spink.

“Nae hurry!” repeated his comrade angrily. “That’s aye yer cry. Half o’ oor ventures hae failed because ye object to hurry.”

“Hoot, man! that’s enough o’t,” said Spink, in the nettled tone of a man who has been a good deal worried. Indeed, the tones of both showed that these few sentences were but the continuation of a quarrel which had begun elsewhere.

“It’s plain to me that we must pairt, freen’,” said Swankie in a dogged manner, as he lifted a keg out of the boat and placed it on the ground.

“Ay,” exclaimed Spink, with something of a sneer, “an’ d’ye think I’ll pairt without a diveesion o’ the siller tea-pots and things that ye daurna sell for fear o’ bein’ fund out?”

“I wonder ye dinna claim half o’ the jewels and things as weel,” retorted Swankie; “ye hae mair right to them, seein’ ye had a hand in findin’ them.”

“Me a hand in findin’ them,” exclaimed Spink, with sudden indignation. “Was it me that fand the deed body o’ the auld man on the Bell Rock? Na, na, freend. I hae naething to do wi’ deed men’s jewels.”

“Have ye no?” retorted the other. “It’s strange, then, that ye should entertain such sma’ objections to deed men’s siller.”

“Weel-a-weel, Swankie, the less we say on thae matters the better. Here, tak’ haud o’ the tither keg.”

The conversation ceased at this stage abruptly. Evidently each had touched on the other’s weak point, so both tacitly agreed to drop the subject.

Presently Big Swankie took out a flint and steel, and proceeded to strike a light. It was some some time before the tinder would catch. At each stroke of the steel a shower of brilliant sparks lit up his countenance for an instant, and this momentary glance showed that its expression was not prepossessing by any means.

Ruby drew Minnie farther into the recess which concealed them, and awaited the result with some anxiety, for he felt that the amount of knowledge with which he had become possessed thus unintentionally, small though it was, was sufficient to justify the smugglers in regarding him as a dangerous enemy.

He had scarcely drawn himself quite within the shadow of the recess, when Swankie succeeded in kindling a torch, which filled the cavern with a lurid light, and revealed its various forms, rendering it, if possible, more mysterious and unearthly than ever.

“Here, Spink,” cried Swankie, who was gradually getting into better humour, “haud the light, and gie me the spade.”

“Ye better put them behind the rock, far in,” suggested Spink.

The other seemed to entertain this idea for a moment, for he raised the torch above his head, and, advancing into the cave, carefully examined the rocks at the inner end.

Step by step he drew near to the place where Ruby and Minnie were concealed, muttering to himself, as he looked at each spot that might possibly suit his purpose, “Na, na, the waves wad wash the kegs oot o’ that if it cam’ on to blaw.”

He made another step forward, and the light fell almost on the head of Ruby, who felt Minnie’s arm tremble. He clenched his hands with that feeling of resolve that comes over a man when he has made up his mind to fight.

Just then an exclamation of surprise escaped from his comrade.

“Losh! man, what have we here?” he cried, picking up a small object that glittered in the light.

Minnie’s heart sank, for she could see that the thing was a small brooch which she was in the habit of wearing in her neckerchief, and which must have been detached when Ruby carried her into the cave.

She felt assured that this would lead to their discovery; but it had quite the opposite effect, for it caused Swankie to turn round and examine the trinket with much curiosity.

A long discussion as to how it could have come there immediately ensued between the smugglers, in the midst of which a wavelet washed against Swankie’s feet, reminding him that the tide was rising, and that he had no time to lose.

“There’s nae place behint the rocks,” said he quickly, putting the brooch in his pocket, “so we’ll just hide the kegs amang the stanes. Lucky for us that we got the rest o’ the cargo run ashore at Auchmithie. This’ll lie snugly here, and we’ll pull past the leftenant, who thinks we havena seen him, with oor heeds up and oor tongues in oor cheeks.”

They both chuckled heartily at the idea of disappointing the preventive officer, and while one held the torch the other dug a hole in the beach deep enough to contain the two kegs.

“In ye go, my beauties,” said Swankie, covering them up. “Mony’s the time I’ve buried ye.”

“Ay, an’ mony’s the time ye’ve helped at their resurrection,” added Spink, with a laugh.

“Noo, we’ll away an’ have a look at the kegs in the Forbidden Cave,” said Swankie, “see that they’re a’ richt, an’ then have our game wi’ the land-sharks.”

Next moment the torch was dashed against the stones and extinguished, and the two men, leaping into their boat, rowed away. As they passed through the outer cavern, Ruby heard them arrange to go back to Auchmithie. Their voices were too indistinct to enable him to ascertain their object in doing so, but he knew enough of the smugglers to enable him to guess that it was for the purpose of warning some of their friends of the presence of the preventive boat, which their words proved that they had seen.

“Now, Minnie,” said he, starting up as soon as the boat had disappeared, “this is what I call good luck, for not only shall we be able to return with something to the boat, but we shall be able to intercept big Swankie and his comrade, and offer them a glass of their own gin!”

“Yes, and I shall be able to boast of having had quite a little adventure,” said Minnie, who, now that her anxiety was ever, began to feel elated.

They did not waste time in conversation, however, for the digging up of two kegs from a gravelly beach with fingers instead of a spade was not a quick or easy thing to do; so Ruby found as he went down on his knees in that dark place and began the work.

“Can I help you?” asked his fair companion after a time.

“Help me! What? Chafe and tear your little hands with work that all but skins mine? Nay, truly. But here comes one, and the other will soon follow. Yo, heave, Ho!”

With the well-known nautical shout Ruby put forth an herculean effort, and tore the kegs out of the earth. After a short pause he carried Minnie out of the cavern, and led her to the field above by the same path by which they had descended.

Then he returned for the kegs of gin. They were very heavy, but not too heavy for the strength of the young giant, who was soon hastening with rapid strides towards the bay, where they had left their friends. He bore a keg under each arm, and Minnie tripped lightly by his side,—and laughingly, too, for she enjoyed the thought of the discomfiture that was in store for the smugglers.